Nagpur: Nagpur’s doubles ace Ritika Thaker and her partner Sonali Singh of Lucknow produced a spirited comeback to book their place in the women’s doubles pre-quarterfinals of the Korea Masters, overcoming a first-game setback to defeat South Korea’s Bang Ji Sun and Hyun Ji Jang in a thrilling opening-round contest on Wednesday.
Making their debut in a BWF World Tour Super 300 event as a pair, the Indian duo displayed remarkable composure after a slow start to script a 13-21, 21-15, 21-12 victory in a 54-minute encounter.
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Aug 4 ,2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
The Korean pair dictated the opening game, capitalising on early errors from the Indians to take the lead. However, Ritika and Sonali refused to be rattled and returned with renewed aggression in the second game.
Trailing 2-6 early in the second, the Indian pair turned the match around with a string of attacking rallies. Ritika’s experience at the net combined effectively with Sonali’s powerful smashes as they wrested control and levelled the contest by taking the game 21-15.
The decider was completely one-sided. Brimming with confidence, Ritika and Sonali raced to a commanding 11-2 interval lead after reeling off 10 consecutive points, leaving the Korean duo with little opportunity to recover. They maintained the momentum throughout the final game, sealing it 21-12 to register an impressive opening-round triumph.
The victory propels the Indian pair into the Round of 16, where they face a formidable challenge against seventh seeds Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi of Japan, the reigning Taipei Open champions.
Reflecting on the win, Ritika said the hard-fought victory had given the pair immense confidence.
“Winning after losing the first game is a big confidence booster. Korean and Japanese players are always tough opponents, but we’ll go into the next match with a positive mindset. We have nothing to lose against a higher-ranked pair and will give it everything we have,” she said.
Ritika trains under coach Arun Vishnu at the Arundhati Arun Badminton Academy in Besa, Nagpur, while Sonali hones her skills at the Babu Banarasi Das Badminton Academy (BBDBA) in Lucknow.
With their fighting spirit and growing chemistry, the Nagpur-Lucknow combination has made an encouraging start to its Korea Masters campaign and will look to continue its dream run against the Japanese seeds.
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